Thursday, December 22, 2011

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters this week that 160 million Americans will have their taxes increased if the payroll tax cut extension does not pass. 160,000,000 working Americans?That’s more Americans than there are in the entire work American workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are only 140.5 million Americans employed today. Thanks to Pelosi and Barack Obama the work force is at its lowest rate in years.

This isn't the first time the former Speaker of the House has fudged the math...

From Tubbs:"Friends... even if I am lying - which I am certainly not - is this the type of 'Hollywood' respect our dead veterans receive in 2011? Tell me I'm not the only one outraged here! Repost this, share it! LETS GET BACK SOME DIGNITY! Someone at CBS needs be held accountable for this travesty."

The latest (below) from KOA-AM morning host Steffan Tubbs on the response to his report of the "Hawaii Five-O" production team "disrespecting" Pearl Harbor/WWII veterans visiting the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific last week -- during the 70th anniversary observances of Pearl Harbor Day.

KOA/Denver host Steffan Tubbs accompanied a group of World War II veterans who traveled to Honolulu to mark the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor in 1941. That’s Tubbs on the left with 96-year old Pearl Harbor survivor Archie Gregory of Huntington Beach, CA. “He was on the deck of the USS Arizona when the attack began,” Tubbs said. “He was blown into the water. A really amazing man.”

All of our vets are either home or on their way as I write this. I appreciate the outrage you have shared with me regarding the incident at Punchbowl on Friday. Please know via a friend, actor Daniel Dae-Kim apparently got word of this to the show's executive producer. Please see the EP's response to me via email last night:

===============

Steffan,

I'm appalled by this account of events, and you can be certain I will be questioning my crew about what happened. I fly to Hawaii tomorrow and will get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, please accept my apology for any mistreatment.

Warmest regards,

Peter M. Lenkov

Executive Producer

Hawaii Five-0

==================

TWENTY FIVE MINUTES LATER...

==================

I'm being told that our crew did stop for your ceremony, at least for the time we told you needed, then proceeded with shooting.

Sent from my iPad

==================

And then this morning... the accusations to me:

==================

From Lenkov:

After my email to you, I spoke to approx 30 folks who were there, including reps from Punchbowl. All say the same thing: they paid respect during the anthem, then called lunch to give the vets the privacy and respect they deserve. Now I know it might be fun to trash a TV show, but I can't understand why you would make these claims. Everyone knows how much we respect our military. We couldn't do our show without them. And since 80% of our crew is made up of locals with deep ties to the military, I can't imagine any one of them doing the things you said in your blog.

Also know, we were not told there was a ceremony until we arrived at Punchbowl. If you know anything about production, you would agree that we had to proceed. And we did, with great respect. Albeit you did not see it that way.

Unfortunately the damage is done. Your blog has spread quickly amongst our fan base. I have a meeting with CBS tomorrow to discuss further.

Wish you would have contacted us first so we could discuss your claims before trashing us so aggressively in a blog.

Peter M. Lenkov

Executive Producer

Hawaii Five-0

======================

to which I responded:

There is nothing made up here. If from my location I could not see your crew stop for the anthem, I apologize. I do know during Taps there were people walking around.

What about the assistant in the backpack walking through hushing vets placing roses? How do you explain the caterer?

Yes, at some point the show had to go on. And it did.

I am a newsman, not some gossip columnist. I recounted exactly what happened and this isn't "fun." These "claims" are fact. The attached picture says a lot, even if it is standard procedure for your crew on location.

Most certainly the few individuals did not represent the view of you, your entire crew, H5O or CBS. But this happened and unfortunately its a reflection of all of you.

I wish you all success and I told this like it was.

=====================

And the drama goes on.

Folks, if you are friends of mine or not, please know this was told the way it happened. Period. To those members of the crew who stopped to show their respect, I salute you. It is extremely troubling the vets never saw it.

SEE ATTACHED PICTURE TO GET A FEEL OF HOW IT WAS FOR A TIME...

That's a production assistant's hand trying to block the photographer...

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Last night at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii (aka: “Punchbowl"), a group of World War II vets were visiting their fallen brethren there as part of the observances of the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

While paying their respects, the vets encountered cast and crew members filming an episode of "Hawaii Five-O" (a CBS program) at the cemetery.

According to Steffan Tubbs (morning show host at KOA-AM in Denver and an advocate for veterans of the Greatest Generation...and someone I'm proud to say is a good friend), the "Hawaii Five-O" crew treated the WWII vets with utter disrespect.

Inquiries to CBS have gone unanswered and comments posted on the "Hawaii Five-O" website reportedly are taken down almost as fast as they are posted. Steffan stands by his report and continues to post reactions to what he witnessed.

by Steffan Tubbs

FIVE-O CREW DISGRACEFUL TO WWII PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS

December 9, 2011

(NATIONAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC – HONOLULU)'

It looked strange from the moment we pulled up to the Punchbowl, a sacred Hawaiian site once the location for human sacrifice before Cook's arrival to the islands. Our tour bus, filled with 23 WWII Pearl Harbor survivors as part of The Greatest Generations Foundation came to the beautiful location in an old crater above downtown Honolulu for a closing ceremony and presentation. The National Cemetery of the Pacific pays tribute to those veterans of all faiths who served their country, many who lost their lives during WWII.

Sacred ground: the National Cemetery of the Pacific ("Punchbowl")...

I admit I was not happy two days earlier on the morning of December 7 at the Pearl Harbor Memorial service. Thousands of people in attendance, yet President Barack Obama – born just a few miles from the USS Arizona memorial – was not only a no-show, but did not bother to send a written or videotaped greeting of thanks to these men. And then there was no-show Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, his bio and picture listed in the program and scheduled to deliver remarks in person. The president I can slightly understand, but the former Colorado senator? What was going on that was so important he couldn't make it on a private government jet to attend the last and final major Pearl Harbor survivors gathering? I am not aware of the circumstances, and perhaps there was a truly legitimate reason for Salazar's absence, but I have yet to hear it. Instead, the National Park representative on site read a bizarre partial statement from the Secretary and then stopped mid-sentence, paused awkwardly, and said, "Thank you."

As we drove in to the Punchbowl site with thousands of graves, large U-Haul-type trucks were lined along the boulevard as people with headsets scurried about acting busier than they really were. It took me just a few seconds to realize this was a production crew from the CBS series Hawaii Five-O. Their scene had something to do with lead character McGarrett visiting his father's grave, which in reality was surrounded by the real graves of WWII heroes. It didn't seem right. But I let it go.

Within 30 minutes of our arrival, we conducted a small ceremony that began with the presentation of the Colors by the University of Hawaii Army ROTC. The National Anthem followed. I emceed the event and looked out on men who had been injured December 7, 1941 – they represented the USSArizona, Tennessee, St. Louis, Pennsylvania, Lexington, Medusa, Sacramento, Antares, Maryland,West Virginia, Stoddard, Tanney, Vestal and Pyro. This group of men also represented Ft. Kamahameha, Kanehoe Naval Air Station, Hickam Field, Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter and Ford Island. At least eight were in wheelchairs. Average age: 91. The others sat in plastic chairs underneath a large, temporary tent. The cemetery representatives could not have been more respectful and there to assist.

Three hundred yards away and clearly visible to them, no one on the CBS production stopped for the anthem or any part of our program. This included the ending of our presentation – Taps and the moment of silence. I was perturbed, but because our veterans faced me, they couldn't see the disrespect. The ceremony ended and several men hopped on golf carts to visit their fallen comrades buried in other parts of the cemetery.

Make-believe heroes...

I decided to take a closer look at the production area from the public thoroughfare and walked closer to see catering trucks, grips, associate directors, production assistants, lighting workers, countless minions and the lead director – a Hollywood-looking middle-aged man wearing a black "AD/HD" t-shirt, a play off the rock band "AC/DC." I stopped well behind the cameras and out of view when a local production assistant politely told me to keep moving. I was not happy and told her we had WWII vets who would likely be in the area. I was told, "Sorry, sir. We rented this part of the cemetery today." My blood started to boil, but I remained calm and moved on. As I stood behind the tent, the director yelled at everyone to: "Get out of the line of sight! If you don't belong here, clear out!"

I made sure to go where I was basically invisible, 40 yards from the nearest camera when the director heatedly walked to me. He was not happy.

"Can you please move?" he said sternly.

"OK," I said. "Where would you like me to go? I have Pearl survivors who are here visiting their fallen comrades at a public cemetery."

He couldn't have cared less and told me that if we stood behind a tent, that would be fine. He walked away completely frustrated and yelled at a local assistant: "I am doing YOUR job! You wanna come back here again? Do your job!" I felt sorry for her. It wasn't her fault a group of vets actually came back for a real reason to this cemetery. Having been around a few movie sets, I knew this was how they were especially if the scene was behind schedule, etc. Keep in mind at this point I was alone. It wasn't as if our entire entourage was milling about. There was only one veteran anywhere near me and was walking toward me from up the road.

Real heroes...

Walter Maciejowski, 90, from Massachusetts soon caught up and I quickly tried to run interference so he wouldn't get yelled at as he stood there in his cream-colored Pearl Harbor Survivors cap. Walter was clueless and was just amazed at the technology. He whispered in my ear as the scene was about to begin 75 yards away. We both stood exactly where the director had told me to stand.

Two minutes later, another guy with an earpiece came up and simply asked us to leave. Period. He was polite, and I politely retorted: "This is a public place and its Pearl Harbor week. These men have made it possible for you to shoot here today. Plus, this is where your director placed us."

He told me he agreed but to please leave with Walter. Oh, he did offer to get us a water or soda to enjoy as we left. We declined.

I told Walter we had to go, and we started to walk away as lead actor Alex O'Laughlin and Terry O'Quinn from Lost did their scene. As we moved out, yet another woman came up to us and with a fake smile told usWalter couldn't take any pictures.

"Our actors get very skiddish around still cameras, sir."

"Funny, and yet they act in front of them," I said, ticked off because we were already leaving.

I wish he hadn’t done it, but Walter asked if they by chance had a hat for him. To his face, she said, "I doubt it but I will try." She never did.

We continued to walk down the road and now 300 yards from where we had stopped previously. At that moment, yet another production assistant, this one in his 20s and with frizzy blonde hair, told us we couldn't stand near the graves because we were in "the line of sight" of the actors. This was physically impossible. We were back near the podium where our ceremony had been held, and oh, we were behind a tree. I let this kid have it with a few select, powerful adult words and basically told him what he could tell his director. I give you my word we were NEVER in the way, NEVER loud and followed every instruction.

It gets worse.

The TGGF program had brought 24 red roses to place at the gravesites on the opposite side of the Punchbowl. The program crew actually had one of their men wearing a backpack and earplug walk through – infiltrate – our rose-laying ceremony hushing everyone.

It was a disgrace.

He ruined the somber mood and my blood was now beyond boiling. Thankfully most of our vets were so focused on placing their roses they didn't catch what was going on. This moron laughed as he communicated with some other crewmember on the other side of the cemetery via his cell phone headset. About this time, a caterer walked over grass and flat headstones, through our vets gathering, with a plate of blackberries and salmon for the actors to snack on.

We loaded our bus after the roses were placed and the vets climbed on and took their seats. Our oldest Pearl veteran 96, youngest 88. One of our crew guys asked the production guy in the backpack if, as we left, one of the actors could take two minutes to hop aboard during a break in shooting to say hello to our veterans as we drove past. Word came about three minutes later via an earpiece, "No."

That didn’t surprise me.

I stayed at the front of the bus with Tim Davis, president and founder of TGGF. He told me to let the vets know what had happened, but I'd already made up my mind I most certainly would. I took the bus microphone and informed the vets in a nutshell what happened. Many of them booed, and then I told them as we drove by, if they felt the urge, to give the CBS crew a one-fingered military salute.

We rolled past and about half our veterans flipped everyone off as we rolled out of the Punchbowl. We all had a good laugh and most agreed we should write CBS and boycott the show and its sponsors.

Having been in the news business nearly 22 years, I understand how the crew was just doing a job and there's big money involved. Shows have to be shot, actors coddled and issues down to rain and daylight come into play. And then, there's common sense and respect.

It would have been an issue if all 24 veterans and 10 staff had come near their "set" (again, on tops of graves of fallen soldiers) and were loud and in the way. Instead, it was just one or two that went to see the on-location production. They didn’t speak, and of course were much friendlier than I was. However, I know many of them were upset. I also thought about the tax incentives this production much receive from taxpayers!

Perhaps you side with the production team, simply trying to film a scene at an historic location. Regardless, I hope I've conveyed how this is just how it is at the end of 2011: people, often consistently, do not show their elders the proper respect they deserve. Of all the weeks of the year – Pearl Harbor week – where fewer than 200 arrived on Oahu for their final goodbye, this was the time for CBS, Hawaii Five-O and the average American to rise up and go the extra mile to accommodate these men. To show respect. To say thank you.

Production on such a grand scale isn't free. To that I say: neither is freedom.

In honor of these men and to show your support, I urge you to share this on Facebook, Twitter, at church, at your poker game, at schools, at work. This shouldn't be a quiet little island secret. Let people know via social networking. Stealing a line from a colleague: Hawaii Five-No!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

"Operation Fast and Furious" -- the debacle that gives us a view of the administration's efforts to undermine the Second Amendment.

In a video clip (at bottom) from this morning's testimony by the USAG before Congress, Attorney Gen. Eric Holder admits the effort was "reckless," "tragic," "flawed" and that "...more people are going to die."

No big deal, Mr Holder?

U.S. Border agent Brian Terry: Another Fast and Furious casualty...

At the very least, Holder and his team (on this) were criminally negligent. More likely, though, they have been caught in a web of lies they offered in an attempt to cover-up a scheme to subvert the U.S. Constitution – a scheme that resulted in the murders of at least one U.S. Border agent and likely hundreds of other innocent civilians.

So one has to wonder how the person the Democrats have been calling the (new) "smartest woman in the world" could make such a blunder.

From Taegan Goddard'sPolitical Wire: "Elizabeth Warren (D) and the rest of the Democratic field for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts couldn't answer a simple question about the Boston Red Sox at a forum yesterday. Apparently, they learned nothing from Martha Coakley's (D) defeat two years ago when she took heat for refusing to campaign outside Fenway Park and called Red Sox great Curt Schilling a Yankee fan." (See video clip below.)

Upcoming appearances...

Support our troops

Tens of thousands of American Service Members are deployed in hostile and remote regions of the world, including the Middle East, Afghanistan, and on ships throughout international waters. The physical conditions they must endure are difficult and they may be separated from loved ones for long periods of time.Operation Gratitude seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed in harm's way.** Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support.
Through Collection Drives, Letter Writing Campaigns and Donations of funds for shipping expenses, Operation Gratitudeprovides civilians anywhere in America a way to express their respect and appreciation to the men and women of the U.S. Military in an active, hands-on manner.

Learn more - and help out - by visiting Operation Gratitude's website!